THE FIRST EPISTLE OF CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS.¹

CHAP. I. — THE SALUTATION. PRAISE OF THE CORINTHIANS BEFORE THE BREAKING FORTH OF SCHISM AMONG THEM.

The Church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth, to those who are called and sanctified by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace from Almighty God through Jesus Christ be multiplied to you.

Owing, dear brethren, to the sudden and successive calamitous events which have happened to us, we feel that we have been somewhat slow in turning our attention to the matters about which you consulted us;² and especially to that shameful and detestable sedition, utterly abhorrent to the elect of God, which a few rash and self-confident persons have kindled to such a pitch of frenzy that your venerable and illustrious name, worthy to be universally loved, has suffered grievous injury.³ For who ever stayed even for a short time among you and did not find your faith to be as fruitful of virtue as it was firmly established?⁴ Who did not admire the sobriety and moderation of your godliness in Christ? Who did not proclaim the magnificence of your habitual hospitality? And who did not rejoice over your perfect and well-grounded knowledge? For you did all things without partiality and walked in the commandments of God, being obedient to those who had the rule over you and giving all fitting honor to the presbyters among you. You enjoined young men to be of a sober and serious mind; you instructed your wives to do all things with a blameless, becoming, and pure conscience, loving their husbands as in duty bound; and you taught them that, living in the rule of obedience, they should manage their household affairs becomingly and be in every respect marked by discretion.

CHAP. II. — PRAISE OF THE CORINTHIANS CONTINUED.

Moreover, you were all distinguished by humility and were in no respect puffed up with pride, but yielded obedience rather than extorted it,⁵ and were more willing to give than to receive.⁶ Content with the provision which God had made for you, and carefully attending to His words, you were inwardly filled⁷ with His doctrine, and His sufferings were before your eyes. Thus a profound and abundant peace was given to you all, and you had an insatiable desire for doing good, while a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit was upon you all. Full of holy designs, you did, with true earnestness of mind and a godly confidence, stretch forth your hands to God Almighty, beseeching Him to be merciful to you if you had been guilty of any involuntary transgression. Day and night you were anxious for the whole brotherhood,⁸ that the number of God’s elect might be saved with mercy and a good conscience.⁹ You were sincere and uncorrupted, and forgetful of injuries between one another. Every kind of faction and schism was abominable in your sight. You mourned over the transgressions of your neighbors: their deficiencies you deemed your own. You never grudged any act of kindness, being “ready to every good work.”¹⁰ Adorned by a thoroughly virtuous and religious life, you did all things in the fear of God. The commandments and ordinances of the Lord were written upon the tablets of your hearts.¹¹

CHAP. III. — THE SAD STATE OF THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH AFTER SEDITION AROSE IN IT FROM ENVY AND EMULATION.

Every kind of honor and happiness¹² was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written: “My beloved did eat and drink, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked.”¹³ Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the honored, those of no reputation

¹ In the only known manuscript of this Epistle, the title is thus given at the close.
² Note the fact that the Corinthians asked this of their brethren, the personal friends of their apostle St. Paul. Clement’s own name does not appear in this Epistle.
³ Literally, “is greatly blasphemed.”
⁴ Literally, “did not prove your all-virtuous and firm faith.”
⁵ Eph. v. 21; 1 Pet. v. 5.
⁶ Acts xx. 35.
⁷ Literally, “you embraced it in your bowels.” Concerning the complaints of Photius (ninth century) against Clement, see Bull’s Defensio Fidei Nicænæ, Works, vol. v. p. 132.
⁸ 1 Pet. ii. 17.
⁹ So in the manuscript, but many have suspected that the text is here corrupt. Perhaps the best emendation is that which substitutes sunaistheseos (“compassion”) for suneideseos (“conscience”).
¹⁰ Tit. iii. 1.
¹¹ Prov. vii. 3.
¹² Literally, “enlargement.”
¹³ Deut. xxxii. 15.